By: Felix Ikpotor
One year after it’s inauguration, chairman of the second Board of Trustees, Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Dr. Mike Nwielaghi has hinged the slow pace of work of the agency on bureaucratic bottlenecks.
HYPREP is the agency responsible for the clean-up of oil impacted sites in Ogoniland.
Nwielaghi who stated this at an event to mark one year anniversary of the BOT, also disclosed of plans by the Federal Government to create over 500 surveillance jobs for Ogoni youths.
He said that six months after it’s approval, provision of portable water is yet to begin in Ogoni communities due to delay from the procurement office.
The BOT chairman called for an immediate overhaul of the procurement process to ease the job of HYPREP.
He said: ” I do know that over six months now, the state ministry of water resources, gave approval for the sites of the water projects but bottlenecks in the procurement unit has made it difficult for the smooth take-off of the project. Since we took over, no job has passed through procurement stage; there should be an overhaul of the procurement procedure”.
Reacting to some misconceptions about the job of the BOT, he said, “it’s unfortunate that certain persons don’t know the role between BOT and Governing Council. What the BOT does is to superintend over the funds, effectively manage it, disburse to the coordinating office and harvest more funds which we are doing, take financial oversight over the coordinating office. So a situation where people think that the BOT should award contracts, procure jobs is neither here nor there”.
To prevent the repollution the environment after clean up urged the government and oil companies to immediately address the issue of modular refineries .
“Let me also caution that as it stands, to avoid repollution, deliberate steps must be taken by the international oil companies, Rivers State Government and the Federal Government to see that the issue of modular refineries is sorted out real quick. The Ogoni people on their parts, the youths and everybody must join hands to see that these sites that are cleaned up are not repolluted,” he said.
He commended the Rivers State government’s effort in curbing the soot menace in the state through destruction of illegal refineries but feared that there could be a backlash if there is no alternative.
“The move to ensure that illegal refineries are destroyed by the Rivers State Government is a welcome idea. However, the security backlash is what we fear that when these sites are destroyed and there are no alternatives security challenges would be more,” he warned.
While appealing to youths of Ogoni to avoid vices that could cause crisis in the area he disclosed that the federal government is planning to engage them through surveillance jobs.
“ Let me also tell Ogoni youths to shun social vices and look for alternative means of survival. Happily enough, the minister of state for environment is making plans to ensure that about 500 surveillance jobs are secured for the youths. By the first week of March, the Honourable Minister has resolved that water projects get on stream through award of contracts to deserving contractors,” he stated.
He called on all stakeholders in Ogoni to support the project to succeed.
